Day Four: Vijnanamaya Kosa (Wisdom day)

When you do an intensive Wednesday is the day you think, will I get through this week? But when Thursday is over you are a little sad because you know you only have one more day to go. Once Friday is over you are set free with the knowledge that you have gained in the Shala pressure cooker. It is a safe feeling to be insulated in your group and then the doors open, like those animals you see set free into the wild that walk timidly into the great wide open world not really sure if they want to leave the safety of their pens.

It was fitting that today’s Kosa means knowing. It is the sheath of wisdom that is underneath the processing, thinking aspect of the mind. It knows, decides, judges, and discriminates between this and that, between useful and not useful.

I had a great example of this today. I have been concentrating on my hands in downward dog lately, Pat’s voice in my head, “wrist creases parallel to the mat edge.” JP pushing on the four points of my hands saying, “push down on your thumb base.” My hands were sore and cramping. I was ready to give up as I went in and out of downward dog. I was trying to get Pat’s attention to no avail. Then a voice inside my head said,”so stop doing it.” It was my wisdom that knew what was useful and not useful. I stopped concentrating on all the pressure and just did it. I got on with my practice and my hands felt great.

A major part of sadhana (spiritual practice) is gaining ever-increasing access to this level of our being. It is the level that has the higher wisdom to seek Truth, to go within, in search of the eternal center of consciousness.